Friday, September 27, 2013

Type O Negtive's October Rust was the first album I picked up from this band on a release day. I didn't discover this Gothic Metal band until after Bloody Kisses was released, and this was the first album to follow that. Because of that, this album has a special place in my heart. I also have a certain longing for this album as well. I'm not sure what happened to my original copy, but it ended up so messed up that I didn't have a proper working copy for years. Partially because I was a little hard headed about having to replace it, and a little because I was buying other discs in that time. Either way I have a new fully working copy now, and that's good, because I forgot how much I really liked this album.

The first two tracks on the album are just that, tracks. Bad Ground and a nameless introduction track are used to kick off the album. Bad Ground is just what it sounds like, the recording of electric hum, to make you think something is wrong with the CD. Which is followed by the band saying hi, and thanking the fans for buying the album.

The album musically starts with Love You To Death which is a very typical Goth kind of song. It's very dark, classic, and has a whole lot of somber meloncholy strung through out it. There are people that are going to love this song and say it's one of Type O's best tracks. I'm not one of those people. This song is a get pussy song. It's like listening to an eighties Glam band doing a power ballad. Not a song I would have picked to lead off the album, but not a bad song either.

Be My Druidess is the perfect way to follow after the last track. Lyrically it's still Peter Steele talking some sweet pillow talk, but musically it's all sexy and totally danceable. No need to dance mix it either. There's really just a great underlying boogie and rhythm to the track. Also, when you get to the part when Pete starts going on with "I'll do anything to make you come," you just can't help but giggle a little bit, unless you are a female. In that case it may get you a little wet.

The first song on the album I really don't care for is Green Man. To me this is a bit of filler. There's really nothing new or special to this track, and I'm not overly fond of the production on the vocals either. It sounds way too much like he's coming through an old tiny speaker.

When it come to Christmas music I always have the same bitch. It's depressing, too mellow, and in no way is festive or celebratory like the time of year should be. Red Water (Christmas Morning) is by far the most shining example of that ever. The only difference is this song is meant to be like that. It's a complete longing for those loved and lost during that most depressing day of the year. It's also one of my favourite modern Christmas songs. "Wake up, it's Christmas mourn' / Those loved has long since gone / The stockings are hung but who cares / Preserved for those no longer there / Six feet beneath me sleep / Black lights hang from the tree / Accents of dead holly / Whoa mistletoe / (It's growing cold) / I'm seeing ghosts / (I'm drinking old) / Red water / Red water / (Red water) / Red water chase them away / My table's been set for but seven / Just last year I dined with eleven / God damn ye merry gentlemen / Whoa mistletoe / (It's growing cold) / I'm seeing ghosts / (I'm drinking old) / Red water / Red water / (Red water) / Red water chase them away".

My Girlfriend's Girlfriend is the perfect male pornagraphic fantasy wrapped up in an uber fun melody and playful spirit. "It's no secret we're close / As sweaty velcro / Like latex, fur and feathers / Stuck together / Now / In their '62 'Vette / Sharing one cigarette / In a black light trance then / Go go dance / Then / Go go trance / Then / They keep me warm on cold nights / We must be quite a sight / In our meat triangle / All tangled / Wow / My girlfriend's girlfriend / She looks like you / My girlfriend's girlfriend / She's my girl too / Her and me and her and she and me / An uncrowded couple; are we three / Hey we don't care what people say / When walking hand in hand down Kings Highway / Two for one today / My girlfriend's girlfriend / She looks like you / My girlfriend's girlfriend / She's my girl, too". Now picture those words done with music that I think can best be described as Goth Pop Bubble Gum Rock. My only complaint about this song is that it makes you think that for some reason these things could be possible. But the truth is women can't really share like that.

It's back to the sweet loving mellow, pretty music meant for love with Die With Me. You would think a band known for being creatures of the night wouldn't release so many songs packed full of sunshine. I mean seriously, picture a couple laying in a field of wild flowers in the middle of the day. All sweet and blissful, and yet lyrically it's so sickening romantic, while being completely depressing. Only Type O Negative can do such things.

That's followed by Burnt Flowers Fallen. Now by the time you get to this point in the album, you come to a couple conclusions. Especially if the only albums you knew before this were Origin Of The Feces, Slow, Deep And Hard, and Bloddy Kisses. What you can't help but notice is that Peter Steele seems to be on happy pills. Either the music is all happy, which means it might be Josh Silver on the happy pills, or Pete is singing about love, and not in the normal way in which he expresses monsterous amounts of murderous rage.

I feel the exact same way about In Praise Of Bacchus as I do about Green Man, right down to the vocal production.
I'm not a Neil Young fan, I enjoy his music, but truth be told this cover of Cinnamon Girl to me out does the original. My mother disagreed, and I can see why. While the original was your normal, cool, acoustical Neil Young rough and ruggedness, the Type O Negative version is not. This cover is bouncy, playful, danceable, fuckable, and down right sexy. This Brooklyn Goth band really knows how to mess with covers and make them totally their own while perserving pieces of the orginals songs so you know what you are listening to.

The longest Type O Negative track title released is The Glorious Liberation of the People's Technocratic Republic of Vinnland by the Combined Forces of the United Territories of Europa. The funny part is that it's just a little musical interlude with some military vibe that lasts no longer than two minutes. The average person can't memorise the title of this songscape (song plus soundscape) in the short time this plays out.

Wolf Moon (Including Zoanthropic Paranoia) Is song classically typical Type O Negative, as long as you shift from vampirism to werewolfism, and then get all kinds of naughty nasty. For the most part not a big part of the album for me. It's sexy, and dark, but that's about it for me. I'm not that big on the whole menophilia thing.

Haunted finishes off the album musically. It's not exactly my first choice of songs to use to close the album, but then again it's not my album. I personally just find the track a little slow and drawn out to be considered a solid closing track. As an actual song it's okay, but nothing special either.

The last track on the album is also nameless and this is basically the band saying good bye.

This isn't my favourite Type O Negative album, but October Rust is a classic that I think should be in any serious music listeners collection.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

I was raised on Detroit Rock 'N Roll. I know Mid West Rock just as well as I know British Hard Rock based out of American Blues and Jazz. When you grow up in the broadcast range of a city that has more songs about it than other songs in Rock, you grow up knowing your Rock well. Then when you have a dad like mine, you get to know it even better. While I don't remember my dad being any type of real Blue Oyster Cult fan, I do remember him cranking up certain songs enough for them to stick in my head.

It took me a few years to finally find a best of collection I was willing to use as a starting spot to start discovering a great band. I was really hoping for more than I got from this album, but at the same time this album serves it's true prupose, while giving me a point in the right direction for further exploration. The true purpose of this album is to give a little bit of everything, while still allowing the true band to shine through.

City On Flames With Rock And Roll opens up the album and my biggest issue with this song is how much it's like Kiss. Musically that's insulting to this song, but lyrically it's just so American Rock 'N Roll. The Cheesy cliche part of it.

The Red & The Black is not a song I was expecting from this band at all. There is this great boogie woogie beat, with a quick shuffle that reminds me very much of The Amboy Dukes. That Mid West Rock with heavy Chuck Berry and Bo Diddly influences. The best part about this song on this album is that it show the range that the band really has, especially in comparison to the lead off track. This to me is some of the best parts of good old fashion Mid West Rock.

The first taste of what made BOC great and amazing in their own right comes with Flaming Telepaths. This is Sci-Fi Metal at it's finest. I mean it's easy to over look the amazing musical arrangements when you are listening to lyrics like these. "Well I've opened up my veins too many times / And the poison's in my heart and in my mind / Poison's in my bloodstream / Poison's in my pride / I'm after rebellion / I'll settle for lies / Is it any wonder that my mind's on fire / Imprisoned by the thoughts of what to do / Is it any wonder that my joke's an iron / And the joke's on you / Experiments that failed too many times / Transformations that were too hard to find / Poison's in my bloodstream / Poison's in my pride / I'm after rebellion / I'll settle for lies / Yes I know the secrets of the iron and mind / They're trinity acts, a mineral fire / Yes I know the secrets of the circuitry mind / It's a flaming wonder telepath / Well I've opened up my veins too many times / And the poison's in my heart and in my mind / Poison's in my bloodstream / Poison's in my pride / I'm after rebellion / I'll settle for lies / Is it any wonder that my mind's on fire / Imprisoned by the thoughts of what to do / Is it any wonder that my joke's alive / And the joke's on you". But overlooking the keyboard work in this song would be a travisty of justice because it's great.

The last song flows so naturally well into the next song that it's like hitting the wall as if you were soft rubber. I mean it's a sudden drastic change that you just absorb and seemlessly move on from. That next song is Astronomy, a song I was introduced to by Metallica, and reviewed before in my coverage of Full Metal Garage. The following paragraph is exactly what I wrote before.

I've been into Blue Oyster Cult for a very long time. In fact I was a fan of BOC before I was a fan of Metallica. However, I never knew about this beautiful piano track. At least that's how it starts off, and I'm not talking about some stupid keyboard sounding crap either. I mean a real piano that has just the perfect amount of reverb on it. However, once that piano stops the Metallica cover becomes a lot better. It's amazing how much production can have an effect on a song. If this song had been re-recorded by the original group in the modern age I think it would be just as heavy, if not heavier than the Metallica version. After all this is the same band that gave us Godzilla and Don't Fear The Reaper.

On a more personally related note, if you were to ask Andria (The Editor) she would tell you that the Blue Oyster Cult version of Astronomy is the better version of the song the whole way through, and she actually knew the Metallica version first and better.

This Ain't The Summer Of love for some reason always has me thinking it's Iggy Pop. Part of it I know is because of the vocal delivery, and part of it is that raw aggressive steady beat, that just keeps you on edge. This is like listening to Hippy music gone storm cloud gloomy.

Then it's on to what is arguably BOC's most popular song, (Don't Fear) The Reaper. I would like to start by saying the song doesn't need more cowbell. Also, if that is the only reason you know this song, you should be ashamed. There's a reason this song with be remembered for years to come, and it has earned it's place in Rock legend. Just youtube it.

I Love The Night doesn't do much for me. It makes me think of a romantic scene in Paris at night in some Romantic Comedy starring the latest flavour or the week in Hollywood. It has all the best parts you would want in a very well written and arranged song, but at the end of the day still not my cup of tea.

Goin' Through The Motions is everything I said about the last song, but very specifically in an eighties movie. This song could have been in The Breakfast Club and totally worked. It's a fun and playful upbeat number, but just a little too Pop without enough of the Rock back bone.

Then we come to Godzilla. After the last couple songs you wouldn't think this song could be so bad ass, but then I have to ask "Why don't you know this song already?" This is a song that everyone should love to crank and air guitar to, even if you don't really like this type of music. This is a heavy song for everyone. The subject matter is cool as anything, the music is heavy and totally rockin' without being overboard or forceful. It's meant to purely back up the subject material.

I'm not sure why the hell there are so many romatic songs on this album. By the time you reach In Thee you have to wonder who this album was put together for. Astronomy is the only romantic ballad like song on this album that isn't just some time of basic run of the mill cheap grab at a female audience. I just don't get why so many had to go on here. This is supposed to be a best of package and these are more like greatest hits.

The Marshall Plan reminds me of Grandfunk Railroad, mixed with the harder side of Bruce Springsteen or John Melloncamp. Musically it's heavy and rockin' and totally awesome. Vocally it's basic Mid West Americana, which appeals to a more select audience I find. If it were not for the vocals I may find the song more enjoyable because it is really well done. It's not that the vocals are bad either, they just sound like every other band from the area from that time.

Black Blade brings us back to why most people don't like Blue Oyster Cult, but why I love them so much. It's total Sci-Fi Metal on this track through and through. The vocals have the right phase, echo, reverb, plange, you name it, while the music just drives it all home. I mean this music takes you on such a ride, that you can't help but want to hit the hyper drive just a little, and then maybe do a little casual flying.

I can't even begin to describe how crazy, ahead of it's time, and wild Joan Crawford is. For starters, this song was so ahead of it's time that it would have been considered complete cheese instead of the genius Proto Goth piece that it really is. I mean there is a part of me that's surprised Type O Negative never covered this one just for the fun of it. Then I listen to the complex musical pieces and remember why they couldn't, especially with the speed the piano moves at. I mean this is some serious musicianship mixed with some dark lyrics. "Junkies down in Brooklyn are going crazy / They're laughing just like hungry dogs in the street / Policemen are hiding behind the skirts of little girls / Their eyes have turned the color of frozen meat / No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no / Joan Crawford has risen from the grave / Joan Crawford has risen from the grave / Catholic school girls have thrown away their mascara / They chain themselves to the axles of big Mac trucks / The sky is filled with herds of shivering angels / The fat lady laughs, "Gentlemen, start your trucks" / Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no / Joan Crawford has risen from the grave / Joan Crawford has risen from the grave / Christina / Mother's home / Christina / Come to mother / Christina / No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no / Joan Crawford has risen from the grave / Joan Crawford has risen from the grave / Joan Crawford has risen from the grave / Joan Crawford has risen".

Thanks to Guitar Hero Brunin' For You can not come on in the house without my daughter singing along. In fact as I write this she is happily decked out in attire totally befitting a young adult, semi Goth, on a chilled fall day and singing along. This is a song that I think will always transcend generations because it already has. This is pure music and love and life and what innocence is really like. This is the fan's side of love created through music made by excess and decadence. This song is what Rock is really about, for those that truly love Rock.

Shooting Stark is a good song, and very enjoyable, but way too heavy on the synths. It sounds like it's going to bust into Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners at any moment. The saxaphone work in this song is impressive, though.

Take Me Away closes out the album on a great note. This is a straight ahead rocker that musically just gets you groovin' and then when you finally mellow out enough to pay attention to the lyrics you notice that you are listening to yet another great song about aliens. Well, more specifically about being taken away by extra terrestrials for good and not experimentation. You want to end an album with a song that adiquately represents the band, and this song does just that.

On the whole I'm not overly happy with this collection, there's too many songs on it that just aren't Blue Oyster Cult to me, and not enough songs that are. That isn't to say that it isn't a good album, but for a band that is supposed to be America's answer to Black Sabbath, it seemed like I got more of an answer to the most basic Deep Purple equation.

Thursday, September 12, 2013

My first kiss album was Alive III, at least I'm pretty sure that was my first album. If it wasn't that, it was Smashes, Thrashes & Hits. If my dad had had his way it would have been Alive, but I wasn't into Kiss enough at the time that would have happened. When it came to my son I thought his first Kiss album should be cooler than mine was, but not the same as what my dad had wanted. I also wanted to get him an album I didn't own. I figured why not start with Kiss' self titled debut (which I've reviewed before), then I followed that up with Destroyer, what many consider the quintessential Kiss album.

The album opens with the classic and heavily well known Detroit Rock City. This is one of my favorite Kiss songs, but even so this track still surprised me. I've never heard the original studio recording, it seems, because I had no clue how much of an actual intro this album had, as well as all the extra sound effect over dubs. All the driving noises were a new experience for me years later. Does it add to the song or the album? Not from my point of view. But it doesn't take away from it either. It's still the same great song I have always loved.

I don't know where I know King of the Night Time World from. It might be just that it's just one of those Kiss songs, or it might be from the movie Detroit Rock City. It's not a bad little track, but it's nothing special. Which make it's placement on the first side of the original vinyl perfect, since the next song is also one of my favourites.

God of Thunder is everything I love about Hard Rock. For starters it's hard, I mean for it's time of original release it was almost thunderous. Then there is the fact that it's heavy, it's big and so well produced. I think the production on this song is one of Bob Ezrin's best examples. This song was just so far ahead of it's time. I also love Gene's vocals as well.

I get to Great Expectations and start shaking my head. I think this song would have been much better as an album closer. Instead it finished off the first side of the original release, which also works. However, in the age of the CD it doesn't work so well. Instead it seems more like a silly track in the middle of the album. "You're sittin' in your seat / And then you stand and clutch your breast / Our music drives you wild along with the rest / You watch me singing this song / You see what my mouth can do / And you wish you were the one I was doing it to / And you watch me playin' guitar / And you feel what my fingers can do / And you wish you were the one I was doing it to / Well, listen / You've got great expectations / You've got great expectations / You're dying to be seen / And you wave and call my name / But in the day it seems that I'm a million miles away / You watch me beatin' my drum / And you know what my hands can do / And you wish you were the one I was doing it to / Well, listen / You've got great expectations / You've got great expectations / You've got great expectations / Then you feels these eyes from the stage / And you see me staring at you / And you hear between the lines, my voice is calling to you / Well, listen / You've got great expectations / You've got great expectations / You've got great expectations, do you want to play the role / You've got great expectations, you'd even sell me your soul / You've got great expectations / You've got great expectations / You've got great expectations, do you want to play the role / You've got great expectations, you'd even sell me your soul / You've got great expectations, as long as you can play the role / You've got great expectations".

All tasteless jokes aside, Flaming Youth isn't that great of a track either. When it follows great Expectations it just seems like middle of the album filler. On it's own, it's pretty much a toss away song, and ends up being better as a tasteless joke. Which is kind of sad since this song was written by everyone in the band except Peter Criss. Even Ezrin is credited on this track.

Leave it to Gene to write a song called Sweet Pain. I'm not sure why this song is so poppy sounding. If they had given it more of a darkened edge it would have been so much more powerful and enjoyable. It's like Simmons is trying to sell S&M to school girls using Bazozoka Joe comics.

Now from this point to the end of the album all the fillers are gone and the rest of the album is clear sailing, as long as you like Kiss.

First up is Shout It Out Loud, which is just a really fun musical party. This is pretty much a party sing along wrapped up in some fills, with a constant driving drum line. All you need to know to enjoy this song is the title. If you know that you can sing along and have a good ol' time.

Beth. What is there to say about Beth. It's considered Rock's first big power ballad. Leave it to Kiss to give us that and Gene Simmon's monster ego. The worst part is we can't even blame Gene for this one, it is was the drummer's fault. That's right it was Peter Criss that gave Bob Ezrin the sap lyrics that ended up becoming a very pretty song.

That is followed by Do You Love Me?, which closes the album. It's the perfect song to follow up Beth, but not the right one to end the album. It's a great Kiss song, but it's not a closing track. It's a strong and solid album filler, but better than just your basic filler track.

I guess it should be mentioned that the album does have a slightly hidden track, and by hidden I mean unlisted. There's a soundscape at the end called Rock and Roll Party, which to me has no added or useful value to the album, but that's okay either way. It's one of those things that are just there.

To me the biggest problem with this album is the song order. Most albums have weak tracks, but it's the placement of the weak tracks in this album that hurt it. Not even that all the weak tracks are weak, they just suffer from bad placement. If the track listing went Detroit Rock City, Flaming Youth, King Of The Night Time World, God Of thunder, Shout It Out Loud, Sweet Pain, Beth, Do You Love Me, and finished with Great Expectations the album may have been better to me than it was.

Monday, September 2, 2013

I like when I get to eat my words. I like when I jump to a conclusion about something and then get bitch slapped down with a big "Fuck you! I told you so." When God Is Dead? was released as the first single to 13, I panicked, to the point of not picking up the album. I mean I seriously wanted nothing to do with it. Then there's the whole Bill Ward thing. You can look that up for yourself if you want more details about that. But, since Mr. Ward is one of my major influences, It's hard for me not to want to pick his side.

I finally decided to give the album a try after picking up a drum mag for some tips and for an article about Brad Wilk, and his playing on 13. I was interested to hear what the man filling the drum stool on this album had to say. I read the article, and when I heard there were sixteen tracks recorded for the album that blew his mind, I thought I should give it a try. I should also be clear that I had no clue this was the drummer of Audioslave and Rage Aganst The Machine, until I picked up the magazine. I've never paid much attention to either band, but I can say that he was the right man for the job of filling in for Bill Ward. He's not Bill, but all Brad wanted to do was have Ward be proud of what he did on the album. A feat which, I believe, he accomplished.

The album opens with End Of The Beginning. This is not the best song on the album, and a song that is a weak track to have as an opener. However, let me explain the genius of why this song opens the album perfectly. It's early Black Sabbath. I mean it's Earth just turned into the band that would be considered the first true Heavy Metal band. The band that created tracks like Black Sabbath, The Wizard, Behind A Wall Of Sleep, and N.I.B. There are some elements to the track that are a little mid nineties Ozzy, but sounding like a demo. It's a song that is the birth of Metal, and the perfect lead into the modern age of Metal Gods.

That leads into God Is Dead? I still don't care for this song, as a Sabbath tune. It's a pretty good Ozzy track, but let's be clear that is what it is. Until about the 5:48 marker, then you remember that it's a Black Sabbath track. If the members of this incarnation of Black Sabbath had recorded on the No More Tears album, this song would have been there. However, when Sabbath kicks in on this song, they really kick in. Other than that I find this song a little over drawn out, so Ozzy can tell his story, but I really don't care about the words that much on this one.

Loner is the first song on the album that really caught my interest, as a point of replay listening. It reminds me so much of Never Say Die era Black Sabbath, which I think is often over looked. More specifically it really reminds me of the track Johnny Blade. However, it's the fact that this is more like true classic Sabbath is what blows my mind. The Blues is there. The Jazz is there. The thunderous Metal is there. The heavy breathing riffs, and the artistry of a truly balanced band. This is the first track were I think Rick Rubin really got the production right.

If you don't own Black Sabbath's Paranoid (the album, not the song), get your ass to the record shop, and get a copy right now before continuing to read this article. Once you are educated, and have listened to the album until it is burned upon you brain, you will notice Zeitgeist is like the perfect continuation of Planet Caravan. I mean it's absolutely marvelous. It's also the first song when I really even notice the lyrics. "Astral engines in reverse / I'm falling through the universe again / Down among a dead mans vision / Faded dreams and nuclear fissions span / The strings of fear they are holding up the race / The puppets falling to the ground / The love I feel as I fly endlessly through space / Lost in time I wonder will my ship be found / On this sinking ship I travel / Faster than the speed of life / Not so super nova burns / The black holes turn and fade from sight / The strings of fear they hide within the human race / The answers buried underground / The love I feel as I fly endlessly through space / Lost in time I wonder will my ship be found / And very soon / The boundless moon / Will show us light / And as we crash / We'll pray and kiss / And say goodnight / Goodnight ".

Age Of Reason is a really good Ozzy track. In fact I think it's Ozzy and Geezer ripping off themselves. I swear that this song is directly ripped from Thunder Underground, and then they went all Black Sabbath on it, and made it so much better. Think Spiral Architech.

When it comes to Black Sabbath, the words have never meant much to me. I can sing you every verse of Children Of The Grave, on a good day, and Paranoid, Iron Man, Sweet Leaf, and a few others. And some of those I play drums while singing, for the fun of it. But the words were never really the focus, they were always part of the music. To me Ozzy was another instrument in the mix. When it comes to Live Forever, I found a song that the lyrics not only stand out for me, but they are attached to a Black Sabbath track. "Just before you die / They say you see your life go flashing by / Cold dark endless nights / To burn in hell or bathe in everlight / Well I don't wanna live forever / But I don't want to die... / I may be dreaming or whatever / I live inside a lie! / Days pass by too soon / Waiting for the rising of the moon / No escape from here / Facing death but is your concious clear? / I may be dreaming or whatever / Watching my life go by / And I don't wanna live forever / But I don't wanna die! / And I don't wanna live forever / But I don't wanna die / I may be dreaming or whatever / I live inside a lie." I mean this is some heavy hard core real total Black Sabbath. When this song is played it should be cranked at full volume, and aloud to rumble through the earth as fire and brimstone start to rise. This is all before Iommi opens up with a solo, that while somewhat short and compact, he really let's it go.

The reason I picked up this album is because Brad Wilk said there was a Blues jam on the album that ended up being called Damaged Soul. He raved about it. I figured if a drummer living a totally surreal experience, while recording with my second favourite band of all time, is going to point out one very specific song that gets him off, I need to hear that song. And oh my God did I need to hear that song. Magic, spellbounding, intoxicating, pure mental stimulating ecstasy. I mean it get's me, and takes me to where only Black Sabbath can take me. This belongs on an Ozzy catalog Black Sabbath Best of album. Not some silly greatest hit nonsense, but a real Best Of collection.

The album closes with Dear Father. Like many Black Sabbath songs this one runs a little slow until it picks up, and when it picks up, it really moves. There are points when I find Ozzy's vocals a bit of a paraody of himself, or Rick Rubin chose to go in a direction with the production I'm not fond of, but what are you going to do. I'm not sure if this is the track that should have closed the album, but it is enjoyable. I also like the little thunderstorm closing at the end of the song. It speaks volumes.

I bitch a lot about Ozzy when it comes to this album. To me it isn't Sabbath without Ozzy, but at the same time Ozzy is not Black Sabbath. That is why I loved the original Black Sabbath albums so much. They were albums recorded by a band. This was an album recorded by musicians that wanted very much to be a band, and succeeded, while vocalists were vocalists.

If your into classic Black Sabbath you really should give this one a try, it's a very solid album, and the musicianship is great. You could pick up the copy with the second disc and three bonus tracks, but it doesn't add to the album, so don't feel that you need to have then. I just picked it up, because that's how I am. Otherwise this is a very good solid album worth owning. It has sentimental value for classic fans and modern kick for those oddly just discovering the Metal Grand Masters.